ipxcore servers run LiteSpeed Web Server, which means WordPress sites get the fastest caching available via the official LiteSpeed Cache plugin (LSCache for short). Properly configured, LSCache produces sub-100ms response times for repeat visitors and significantly improves Core Web Vitals scores. This article walks through setup and the tuning that matters.
Why LSCache vs. WP Rocket / W3 Total Cache / WP Super Cache
- Server-level caching. LSCache stores cached pages at the server level (LiteSpeed's cache module), not at the WordPress level. The cached response is returned before WordPress, PHP, or MySQL even start. Other caching plugins still go through PHP for each request.
- Free. WP Rocket starts at $59/year. LSCache is free and arguably better on LiteSpeed servers.
- Built-in image optimization. Includes WebP conversion, lazy loading, and CDN integration with QUIC.cloud.
- ESI for partial caching. Logged-in user areas can cache the static parts of pages while keeping personalized blocks dynamic.
Install and activate
- WordPress admin → Plugins → Add New.
- Search for LiteSpeed Cache.
- Click Install → Activate.
Once active, LSCache starts caching immediately with sane defaults. You can leave it there and see improvements, or tune for more.
Recommended settings
General
- Settings → General → Domain Key: click "Request Domain Key" to register with QUIC.cloud (the LiteSpeed CDN). Free tier covers most small sites.
- Settings → General → Server IP: set to your hosting IP (improves QUIC.cloud performance).
Cache
- Cache → Cache: ON
- Cache → Cache Logged-in Users: OFF (typical — leave logged-in dashboards uncached unless you're using ESI)
- Cache → Cache REST API: ON
- Cache → Cache Login Page: ON
- Cache → TTL → Default Public Cache TTL: 604800 (7 days)
- Cache → TTL → Default Private Cache TTL: 1800 (30 minutes)
- Cache → Purge: ensure "Auto Purge Rules For Publish/Update" includes the front page, post type archives, and post-related URLs.
CSS / JS optimization
- Page Optimization → CSS → CSS Minify: ON
- Page Optimization → CSS → CSS Combine: ON (test this; can break some themes)
- Page Optimization → CSS → CSS HTTP/2 Push: OFF (deprecated in HTTP/3)
- Page Optimization → JS → JS Minify: ON
- Page Optimization → JS → JS Combine: OFF (often breaks themes; test if you enable)
- Page Optimization → JS → JS Defer: Deferred (significant LCP improvement)
Image optimization
- Image Optimization → Image Optimization Settings → Auto Request Cron: ON
- Image Optimization → Image Optimization Settings → Optimize Original Images: ON
- Image Optimization → Image Optimization Settings → Create WebP Versions: ON
- Image Optimization → Image Optimization Settings → Lossy: ON for most sites (nearly invisible quality loss; significant size reduction)
After enabling, click Send Optimization Request on the Image Optimization page. QUIC.cloud processes your existing images in the background; new uploads optimize automatically.
Database
- Database → Manage: run "Clean All" once, then schedule weekly cleanup.
- Useful targets: post revisions, expired transients, spam comments, trashed posts, orphaned data.
Crawler (warm the cache)
By default, LSCache caches a page only after the first visitor hits it. The crawler proactively warms the cache by visiting all your URLs:
- Crawler → Crawler Settings → Crawler: ON
- The crawler runs on a server cron and visits every URL on your sitemap.
Result: cold-cache TTFB improvements for visitors hitting infrequently-visited pages.
Verify caching is working
Open a page on your site in incognito mode. View page source → search for x-litespeed-cache in headers (F12 → Network → click the document → Response Headers):
x-litespeed-cache: hit
hit means the page was served from cache. miss means LSCache rendered it fresh and stored it (subsequent loads will hit). no-cache means caching is disabled for this URL.
When to purge
LSCache auto-purges relevant URLs when you publish or update content. Manual purge is occasionally needed:
- After CSS or JS file changes outside WordPress (e.g., editing a theme via SFTP)
- After major plugin updates that change layouts
- If a visitor reports stale content
Use the LiteSpeed Cache → Toolbox → Purge menu. "Purge All" wipes everything; specific options purge categories.
Pairing with QUIC.cloud CDN
QUIC.cloud is the LiteSpeed-affiliated CDN. Free tier:
- 20 GB/month bandwidth
- Image optimization (the WebP conversion pipeline)
- Page-level CDN caching
To enable: General → QUIC.cloud Domain Key → Request, then turn on CDN in CDN settings. Most small sites stay under the free tier limit.
Common pitfalls
- Site looks broken after enabling. CSS Combine or JS Combine broke a dependency. Disable both, refresh, and only re-enable Combine after testing each.
- Logged-in users see cached pages of other users. "Cache Logged-in Users" was turned ON without ESI configured. Turn it OFF unless you understand the implications.
- Cache header shows "no-cache" everywhere. A plugin (often a security plugin) is setting
no-cacheheaders. Check the response headers for source. - Image optimization stalled. QUIC.cloud free tier processed your queue. Wait for next month or upgrade.
For deeper performance work, see our WordPress speed article.
